Hancock Pump Passes Inspection

The city dropped a threat Friday to evacuate 13 floors of the John Hancock Center after a troublesome water pump passed a Chicago Fire Department inspection.

The pump, part of a new sprinkler system in the tower, 875 N. Michigan Ave., was discovered to be against code during an inspection because its water pressure was too low, city officials said.

The Fire Department cited U.S. Equities Realty Inc., which manages the building, for a code violation. Circuit Judge Morton Zwick gave U.S. Equities until Tuesday to bring the pump into compliance; it passed the test Friday.

Evacuating the floors affected by the pump would have been a last resort if U.S. Equities didn't cooperate, city legal department spokeswoman Andrea Brands said.